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1. CONFRONTATION

        Places we see every day that we all know and we see from time to time are where the best stories come from. This story comes from a garden, and you may have walked past it. The story itself is about a nest or colony of black garden ants and their adventures.
        Almost all stories have their heroes, and our hero in this story is a young black ant called Strada. To tell this unusual tale I will tell you a few facts about these black ants and how they live, but not all in one go. Firstly, ants live together. They live very much like us in communities called nests or colonies. And the nest takes the name by its location, rather like some of our cities or towns. Our nest is called Ashwood, because it is near to a lovely Ash tree.
        It is 10 o'clock in the morning on a spring day. It is bright and breezy. Not to our ears but in the tiny world of the insect a rustling sound can be heard through the newly shorn blades of grass. At the time of 9 o'clock the grass was to the ants like tall trees, but now to the ants the grass appears like low trees after the gardener had performed his task.
        This soft rustling sound came from a group of 25 or more black ants, making their way through the densely cut grass, talking to each other. Strada, walking and talking with the others, was completely different from them in the sense that he had been named by the Queen Ant herself when he was born. The other ants had either named themselves or been given a name by the other ants, either because of their looks or their talents or their work.
        The ants were having a conversation. Strada was taking part in this conversation on his first patrol to find either food or a safe path for the working ants. Strada spoke in a searching manner: ‘I notice Scout is in front of the rest’ he said to an ant called Fastflight.
        ‘That is because he is good at looking for danger, replied Fastflight,' that is why we call him Scout - he scouts around.’
        ‘Then why are you called Fastflight?’ said Strada.
        ‘Because I can run much quicker than most ants.’ said the nimble-looking ant Fastflight.
        ‘Can he see any danger?’ said Strada.
        ‘Use your antennae more, young one!’ said a voice from behind him, an ant called Marcher. ‘There's no need to tell you how he got his name. Try and feel any vibration through them. That is how we communicate or talk to each other, besides using our mouths. ‘I can see, young one, you are still wet behind yours’ Marcher laughed heartily.’
        ‘In fact’ said Fastflight ‘I have a strong feeling in mine.’
        ‘And me!’ said Marcher.
        ‘I have a slight feeling in mine’ said Strada.
        ‘You're learning,’ said Marcher.
        ‘What can it be?’ asked Strada.
        ‘We'll soon know,’ replied Fastflight.
        Scout came running back to the group of ants. ‘I can see danger ahead, better that we all run behind that big rock’.
        They did so, none of them asking any questions, waiting until they were all behind the stone. Then the questions came...
        ‘What could you see?’ asked Strada, in a rather nervous voice, addressing Scout.
        ‘The enemy Redback, the leader of the red ants, and some of his men, 12 or maybe more.’ he answered.
        ‘But there are 25 or more of us’ pointed out Strada.
        ‘Ah but the sting of a red ant is very powerful, even though we have strong jaws to hold and pick things up with,’ explained Digger, another ant who was named because of the fact that he could dig deeply and quickly, indeed he could burrow himself out of sight as a form of defence.
        ‘Be very quiet,’ commanded Digger ‘here they come. Don't talk loudly, and keep out of sight. Radar will give the all clear when it is safe. He has the strongest signal of all.’
        Now another rustling sound could be heard. This rustling sound had a different ring to it - in fact, to the black ants, it was not very welcome.
        The red ants spoke. It was the leader himself, who spoke first, in a rather loud eerie voice:’ I only wish we could communicate like the black ants through our antennae’ he said angrily. ‘Then we could communicate faster if we spotted a black ant, and if we took turns following him we could seek out their nest and destroy them and their Queen.’
        These words sent shivers down the backs of the listening black ants, hiding quietly. The red ants were speaking amongst themselves just on the other side of the very stone where the black ants were hiding.
        ‘With my very powerful sting, I could kill very quickly,’ boasted an ant, continuing ’with my poison in my stomach and passing it quickly through my jaws.’
        ‘Yes’ approved Redback ‘you are strong, Stinger.’
        ‘I thought we could find them here’ said another ant called Pincher.
        ‘And me too!’ piped another red ant called Grater, who had the most powerful-looking jaws.
        The last ant to appear in the group was a very nimble-looking red ant called Lightning who said to his chief Redback ‘I sense they are near, but I have looked around and can't find any sign of them.’
        ‘We must go!’ exclaimed the very commanding Redback. ‘We need to look for food.’ So off they marched, producing a sigh of relief in the on looking black ants.
        After the red ants had completely disappeared from view the black ant called Radar gave a message to the rest of the black ants that the coast was clear. Radar had a greater ability to send strong messages through the air, which earned him his name.
        ‘Phew! That was close,’ said Digger.
        ‘Too close for comfort,’ added Marcher.
        Fastflight looked at Strada and said ‘Ants, especially you young ants, must have your wits about you. You can't relax if you hear a noise, and must look around you all the time. Had the red ants caught one of us they would either have killed or tortured him to death or worst of all - one of us might have given in and told where the nest is. That would have been the end of Ashwood!’
        ‘I see.’ said Strada ‘but why do they hate us?’ He looked around at his friends.
        An elderly ant explained with great seriousness: ’because there are more of us. Our Queen lays more eggs. We get more of the food the humans leave behind. And besides, they have been this way since time began, for they have chosen to fight all insects, big or small, friendly or harmful. They are the Warriors of the Garden.’

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